Master Governance and Human Rights: Learning experience

Campus Week is a special moment in the academic year, bringing together three cohorts of Governance and Human Rights students – those who have just started their studies, those in the middle of the program, and those approaching graduation. This creates a unique opportunity to connect across cohorts, exchange experiences and learn from each other. New students can get to know the program and the people behind it, while students further along their studies  can share insights from their academic and professional experiences.

How are human rights affected by climate change, and what legal responsibilities do states and private actors carry in responding to it?

As part of Campus Week 2026 of the M.A. Governance and Human Rights, we are pleased to welcome Dr Carolin Schlößer, LL.M., Researcher and Policy Adviser at the German Institute for Human Rights (Deutsches Institut für Menschenrechte), for a keynote addressing these timely questions.

Climate change has become one of the defining human rights challenges of our time. Its consequences raise fundamental questions about the protection of rights, the responsibilities of states, and the role of private actors. At the same time, climate policies themselves can create new tensions and require careful consideration from a human rights perspective.

Against the background of the International Court of Justice’s landmark Advisory Opinion of July 2025, Dr Schlößer will examine the evolving legal framework at the intersection of human rights, climate action and international law. 

The keynote will consider questions such as:

• What obligations do states have under human rights law to address climate change?
• How should potential conflicts between climate protection measures and human rights be assessed?
• What legal responsibilities do private companies have in relation to their CO₂ emissions?

The session offers an opportunity to engage with current legal and policy developments and to discuss their implications for human rights protection and climate governance.

• Date: Monday, 14 September 2026

• Time: 3 - 4.30 p.m. CEST
• Format: Hybrid

Short Bio

Dr. Carolin Schlößer has been a researcher at the German Institute for Human Rights since 2023. She studied law in Düsseldorf (Germany), Cergy-Pontoise (France) and Geneva (Switzerland), specialising in human rights and international law. She completed her German legal training in Düsseldorf, with placements at the Federal Ministry of Justice in Berlin (Human Rights Division) and at the Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations in New York (USA). Recently, she conducted research at the University of Bonn for her PhD in constitutional law with links to fundamental rights and public international law.

Based on many years of experience in the field of online and distance education, the Leuphana Professional School has developed a distance-learning concept that matches the geographical and temporal context of the program.